Headlamp condensation

[Chas]

Happy New Year to you Malcolm, and many more of them

 

[television]

Happy New Year to you Malcolm, and many more of them

And the same to you Chas

 

[c240yaz]

Unfortunately its very wet on the west coast up here which is under the influence of the Gulfstream (warm moist air), and combined with global warming, very heavy and short lived downpours are common, summer or winter. It might not work, but it only takes a minute to place or change a satchet, and clouding in the inner lense at the bottom is already present in my headlamps (6 months old).
Personally I don't want them to get worse (I like my car and take pride in it). I am just not content to do nothing.

Nothing ventured, nothing gained

Wish I was there tonight. I left there at 4am this morning, 4 1/2 hours down the M74/M6, currently in Lytham St Annes and it is freezing !! and let us know how well the Silica gel satchets get on. Interested in the result to see if it fixes your problem.

Edit: Going pack to your original post. Could it be that this headlamp modification is the real problem ? Did the original H/Lamps do the same. If not, surely the H/Lamp mod is the cause of the problem ?

 

[Chas]

No it's a problem worldwide on all sorts of models/headlamps. Mine are 6 month old MB 2003+ facelift clearglass projectors. The invention below is patented to solve this problem in the design fault which leads to condensation

Check http://www.mbclub.co.uk/forums/showpost.php?p=457891&postcount=3


http://www.wipo.int/pctdb/en/wo.jsp?WO=2001/055636&IA=WO2001/055636&DISPLAY=DESC

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR DEHYDRATING A VEHICLE LAMP HOUSING BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the invention The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for removing moisture from ambient air as it moves into, or out of, a vehicle lamp housing. More particularly, the present invention relates to such a method and apparatus in which a filtering fiber mat, containing a regenerable desiccant material, is contained within a filter housing, which can be placed in fluid communication with a vent passage of a vehicle lamp housing.

 

[280gee]

There's been a lot of progress since Joe Lucas's "King Of The Road" headlamps, not all of it positive it would seem.

 

[BTB 500]

My VW Sharan had clear "projector" type headlights ... one side used to mist up sometimes, and the other never did

 

[jaymanek]

i dont see the problem here???? They do mist up but it shouldnt cause any problem, its perfectly normal... if you come here first thing in the morning i will show you rows of cars with misted lights... just leave the lights on for a minute to clear it..

 

[Chas]

i dont see the problem here???? They do mist up but it shouldnt cause any problem, its perfectly normal... if you come here first thing in the morning i will show you rows of cars with misted lights... just leave the lights on for a minute to clear it..

This meerly confirms the problem is widespread. If I wanted headlamps with the condensation option I would have ordered them

Also why should I waste fuel and increase my carbon footprint just to demist new, stock MB headlamps?

 

[jaymanek]

its just a side effect of the new style lamps... they look great and the fact that they mist up occasionally is a little annoying but nothing to worry about surely?

I fear that you may just be trying to solve a problem that doesnt need solving and putting things like silica beads into headlights just doesnt seem necessary..

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

Condensation can leave cloudy water marks on the inside of the lens which is irritating on cars with non-patterned lenses. Frustrates me anyway.

 

[Chas]

Condensation can leave cloudy water marks on the inside of the lens which is irritating on cars with non-patterned lenses. Frustrates me anyway.

Me too ! Also it spoils the look of a nice car.

3 years down the road and the lenses will be totally clouded up

 

[Chas]

its just a side effect of the new style lamps... they look great and the fact that they mist up occasionally is a little annoying but nothing to worry about surely?

I fear that you may just be trying to solve a problem that doesnt need solving and putting things like silica beads into headlights just doesnt seem necessary..

Well I can tell you, the next Merc I buy, I will be asking if the headlamps without the condensation are standard, or will I have to pay more for headlamps which dont condense I will then watch the sales guy squirm in his seat and laugh at the response "it is nothing to worry about"